James Cameron confirms Avatar: The Way of Water is profitable and that the sequels will happen as planned. Even before the first Avatar sequel was released, Cameron and Disney confirmed plans to make four sequels in total. Avatar: The Way of Water was the first step in this plan and carried plenty of skepticism with it that audiences would still care about the Na'vi over a decade after their last appearance. The box office has proven those doubts to be incorrect, as Avatar 2 quickly became one of the ten highest grossing movies of all time. This has come after continued debate about how much money the sequel needed to make to be profitable.
Confusion over Avatar: The Way of Water's profitability chances began after reports circulated that the movie needed to become the third or fourth highest grossing movie ever to break even. This was walked back eventually with reports recently stating that the film became profitable after it crossed $1.4 billion worldwide. During an appearance on Who's Talking To Chris Wallace?, James Cameron confirmed that Avatar 2 is profitable after making more than $1.5 billion. The director also stated that means he will make and finish the three remaining Avatar sequels as originally planned.
It looks like just with the momentum that the film has now that will easily pass our break even in the next few days, so it looks like I can’t wiggle out of this, I’m gonna have to do these other these other sequels. I know what I’m going to be doing the next six or seven years. The point is we’re going to be okay. I’m sure that we’ll have a discussion soon with with the top folks at Disney about the game plan going forward for Avatar 3, which is already in the can – we’ve already captured and photographed the whole film so we’re in extended post-production to do all that CG magic. And then Avatar 4 and 5 are both written. We even have some of 4 in the can. We’ve begun a franchise at this point. We’ve begun a saga that can now play out over multiple films.
How Avatar: The Way of Water Sets Up Avatar 3, 4, and 5
The roadmap for future Avatar sequels is teased throughout Avatar: The Way of Water. Even though Cameron stated before that the franchise could end with Avatar 3 if the first sequel was not a hit, he has always had a plan in mind through the fifth installment. It is thanks to his planning that Avatar: The Way of Water could set up Avatar 3 and beyond. The continued war between the Na'vi and humans should continue as the RDA expands its building and search for the anti-aging fluid amrita that is found in Tulkun brains. Spider's decision to save Quaritch will also factor into Avatar 3's story, possibly through the introduction of the Ash Clan that Cameron teased.
Looking ahead to what will happen in Avatar 4 and Avatar 5, the breadcrumbs for these stories are much smaller. Neytiri's hatred of humans is shown to have grown in Avatar: The Way of Water, which is a way for her Avatar 5 story to be set up. It has already been announced that Avatar 5 will go to Earth to show Neytiri the good side of humanity. Given the franchise's environmental themes, the upcoming Avatar sequels could see Pandora's condition deteriorate as humanity continues to transform the planet and show how humans made Earth worse.
Will The Avatar Sequels Match The Way of Water's Box Office Success?
Now that Avatar: The Way of Water is profitable and ensured the sequels will happen, the question now turns to whether they will maintain the same box office success. It is now expected that Avatar 2 could finish its box office run after earning roughly $2 billion. The production timeline for the Avatar sequels could mean that more work is done on the fourth and fifth films before the third even hits theaters. While that does mean their box office performances could not have any bearing on what happens in the future, Avatar: The Way of Water's box office success gives the remaining sequels high expectations to live up to. Of course, James Cameron has proved not to bet against him.
Source: Who's Talking To Chris Wallace?
